2018 Short Summer Seminars - Five College Learning in Retirement

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The deadline for registration for the Summer 2018 Seminars is June 11th.
Summer seminars are filled in the order that registrations are received by the office. Additional registrations will be added to waiting lists.

Click HERE to register online.

Click HERE to download and print registration form.

No phone registrations will be taken.

Please click the title of each seminar to read more details about each.

The Library of Congress: The People’s Library
Moderator: Dottie Rosenthal
Date and Time: Tuesday afternoon, 1:30-3:30pm
5 weeks starting July 17
Location: Applewood in Amherst, The Tavern

In this seminar we will examine the history of the Library of Congress, its rich holdings, and how it has changed since 1800 when the idea for the library was first proposed by President John Adams. While its original purpose was to serve as the library for Congress, it has grown into an institution that serves all of the American people. The original Jefferson Building, which will be our main focus, was completed in 1897 and is a model of architecture and art that honors the importance of books in the lives of Americans. Two other buildings, the Adams Building and the Madison Building, were added in 1939 and 1980, respectively, but the Jefferson Building remains the main one of interest to the general public.
Additional information

Life on the Page: Realist literature in post-Civil War America
Moderator: Elizabeth Armstrong
Date and Time: Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 10:00-Noon
5 meetings (7/17, 7/19, 7/24, 7/26, 7/31)
Location: Loomis Village, South Hadley

The Civil War killed off the romantic strain in American literature: western migration, growing urbanization, the influx of foreigners and a rising consciousness of racial and feminist concerns were reflected in an outpouring of short stories by writers such as Jack London, Willa Cather and Kate Chopin. The mores and values of the “Gilded Age” society were brought under the microscope by Henry James and Edith Wharton. Regional differences were celebrated by the “local color” writers Mark Twain and Mary Wilkins Freeman.
To explore the range of realism and naturalism in American literature, we will read up to twelve stories and conclude with Wharton’s novel House of Mirth.

The Novels of Georgette Heyer: A window into the English Regency Period
Moderator: Pam Daniels
Date and Time: Monday and Wednesday mornings, 10:00-Noon
5 meetings (7/16, 7/18, 7/23, 7/25. 7/30)
Location: Smith College, Lilly Hall Room 207

The moderator will provide a general historical background of the period, a biographical summary of the author and a short account of her Regency novels. In addition to a report provided by participants on the Georgette Heyer novel of their choice, they will select and describe a specific topic depicted or even featured in that book. Such topics will be briefly researched and reported on as part of the presentation. Topics include the role and practice of dueling, importance of Almack’s vouchers to young women, Beau Brummel and other notables of the period, impact of Napoleon, transport, fashion, family life, and many other factors.